Description
Burying her husband in the garden under the runner bean patch seemed the best idea. At least burying him there she would be able to keep an eye on him. Suzy had not meant to kill him and then she meets her old friend Lewis, would he help her, or make things worse?

Summary
Burying her husband in the garden under the runner bean patch seemed the best idea. At least burying him there she would be able to keep an eye on him. Suzy had not meant to kill him and then she meets her old friend Lewis, would he help her, or make things worse?

Excerpt
SUZY Preview
Chapter One
Opening the hot oven door Suzy puts her gloves on and takes out the cooking joint of beef. Putting the hot tray onto the top of the oven Suzy turns the meat over and adds potatoes and parsnips to the tray.
Putting the tray back into the oven she frowns as she stands up and thinks if all this effort is worth it; Doug, her partner had been very moody lately. Sometimes he came home with a smile, but that was rare these days.
Doug's behaviour towards her recently had become nasty, aggressive and he was constantly accusing her of being unfaithful and calling her a liar.
Suzy had not done anything wrong and could not understand why he had changed so much recently. Hoping that cooking his favourite roast dinner would make the evening a pleasant one Suzy lights the gas under the vegetables as she hears Doug's car pull up out front.
Checking herself in the mirror Suzy shouts a cheery welcome as Doug opens the front door. Hearing no reply the frown returns to her forehead as she busies herself with getting two plates out of the cupboard. Doug slams the front door and stomps down the hall into the lounge as Suzy's stomach tightens in anxiety. Too frightened to go and talk to him she puts a knife and fork onto a tray and sits at the table and reads her book whilst the dinner cooks.
“Here you are,” says Suzy as she walks into the lounge carrying Doug's dinner; “looks like you have had a hard day,” she says as she sees the frown on Doug's face.
“Hard day? You don’t know the half of it,” he snaps as he stares into her eyes not attempting to take the tray from her hands.
“We are not going to argue are we? Come on, I have cooked your favourite roast dinner,” Suzy replies holding the tray out towards him.
Doug stands up and knocks the tray out of Suzy's hands slapping her on the face before the tray hits the floor; “What are you after?” he demands in a cruel voice.
“I want a quiet evening for a change,” she screams back.
Doug punches her hard on the shoulder as she turns away and only succeeds getting as far as the fireplace; when he grabs her hair, twisting it viciously. Trying to grab hold of the mantel piece her fingers touch the long silver letter opener and Suzy's hand curls around it instinctively.
As Doug pulls her towards him she lashes out with the opener stabbing it into his throat below the right jaw, she hadn't meant to stab him as she just wanted to hurt him back.
Pulling the silver letter opener out of Doug's throat the blood pours out over her hand Doug slumps to the floor. She must have stabbed him in the main artery, the blade penetrating into his windpipe as he makes no sound. Suzy looks down at his dead body as tears fill her eyes; now she is in big trouble.
With tears coursing down her cheeks she goes into the kitchen and washes the letter opener and her hands under the hot tap. Evening is approaching and she draws the curtains and turns on the light. Washing her face under the cold running tap she dries it using the kitchen towel and thinks as to what to do next.
Get rid of Doug's body is the dominant thought and her mind races as to where she is going to dump him.
Regaining her composure Suzy walks back into the lounge and looks down at Doug's still form lying on the floor. Blood has flowed out of his neck and soaked into the carpet. She had never liked that carpet anyway and her now ex-husband has ruined it.
A cold smile forms on her red lips as she sees her life improving without Mister Jealous keeping her prisoner in her own home. It feels as if a great weight has been taken off her shoulders as she looks down at him as she starts to appreciate her freedom.
Walking back into the bathroom she looks at herself in the mirror; Suzy is an attractive middle aged lady aged in her late thirties and has always prided herself on her appearance. Since she had been young, the boys had flocked around her as she has always been attractive to look at. Tidying her hair gently, as her scalp is still tender from where Doug had pulled her hair; she applies make-up to her face and puts fresh lipstick on. Satisfied with her appearance she smiles at herself in the mirror and walks into the kitchen to make a hot drink.
Suzy lives in a small bungalow on the edge of town and has no worries about unexpected visitors. Doug's grip on her life had been strong and dominating and she had lost most of her friends years ago. Making a sweet milky coffee Suzy sits down at the kitchen table and wonders what she is going to do. To drag out the body, dig a big hole and bury him at the bottom of the garden is a good idea. His heavy weight would be too much for her to drag and she wonders if she has the stomach to cut him into pieces. The idea of cutting him up into pieces appeals to her sense of revenge, her dislike for her domineering partner had grown over the years; and with each beating the dislike had turned into hate.
Smiling, Suzy sips at her coffee imagining herself cutting Doug's arms and legs off. Putting her cup onto the table Suzy stands and walks across to the rack of carving knives. Picking up the biggest knife she checks the sharpness with the edge of her thumb. The knife slices into a couple of layers of skin and Suzy pulls her thumb away with a laugh. Putting the knife down onto the worktop Suzy picks up the chopper and lays it beside the knife. She knows the chopper is sharp as she had to sharpen it to prepare Sunday's dinner. Searching under the sink Suzy finds her rubber gloves and puts them on and taking a final sip of her coffee, picks up the knife and chopper and walks into the lounge.
Doug looks very pale due to the loss of blood as he lies motionless on the floor. Putting the knife and chopper onto the coffee table Suzy starts to remove Doug's clothes. He is heavy and she struggles with the weight of him and after ten minutes of hard effort she finally manages to remove them all.
Exhausted she sits back and catches her breath. Doug, in his nakedness looks peaceful lying on the floor and she looks at his still form remembering the happy days; as tears flow down her cheeks. Standing up quickly she goes back into the kitchen and sits at the table, removing her rubber gloves she drinks the last of the now cold coffee. Silently she sits and tries to remember the horrible way he has been to her and how her life has been so unhappy with him. This thinking helps and with a determined look on her face she puts the gloves back on and goes back into the lounge.
Picking up the chopper she walks over to Doug's body and kneels beside him. Raising the chopper above her head she swings down as hard as she can, aiming for the upper arm. The chopper chops through the flesh and into the bone; making a strange animal noise in her throat Suzy chops away at the arm until it falls away and continues with the other arm. The bone is hard and takes several swipes before she is able to cut them off. Looking at the legs she chops into the knee joint which cuts through after two firm hits. She follows this using the knife, cutting the leg muscles at the top of the thighs and then chopping into them.
Looking down at Doug's peaceful face she is unable to cut his head off and goes back into the kitchen to get some black dustbin sacks. Finding the sacks in the cupboard under the sink she goes back into the lounge and puts Doug's arms and legs into separate sacks. Doug's body is still heavy and she struggles as she puts a sack over his head and slides the sack down over his shoulders. Using another sack she puts the lower half of his body into this and does her best to completely cover the dismembered body. Wearily she sits down on the floor and leans her back against the wall.
It will look too suspicious if she was to dig the garden in the dark so she decides to put Doug in the shed. Carrying out the arms and legs in their plastic sacks is easy and she puts them in the corner of the shed. Picking up Doug's torso and head is difficult as it is heavy and the two bags that she used immediately start to separate. Pulling off the bottom bag she clasps the body in her arms and struggles out to the shed; dropping it down onto the floor she slams the door shut and bolts and locks it firmly.
Now totally exhausted Suzy goes back into the lounge and covers the blood soaked carpet with old newspapers. Going into the bathroom she runs the water for a bath. Stripping off her clothes she walks to the kitchen and puts them in the washing machine. Putting it on a very hot wash she turns it on and goes back into the bathroom for her bath.
The morning light wakes her, as does the noisy dog three doors away. Frowning in annoyance Suzy buries herself in the bed covers and sleeps for another half hour before the postman, pushing letters through the door wakes her. Throwing back the covers Suzy stares up at the ceiling; Doug's face had kept appearing in her dreams in the night giving her a restless sleep.
Getting out of bed Suzy puts on her gardening clothes and goes into the kitchen for strong coffee. She feels far too upset to eat and sits at the table drinking her coffee. Remembering the sound of the letter box she stands and goes to the front door. The gas and electric bills are not what she needs.
Walking back into the kitchen Suzy throws the letters down not having opened them and ignoring her coffee picks up the key to the shed and goes outside.
The morning is a little damp and chilly and Suzy looks up to see a blue sky forming. The lawn is covered in early morning dew and a robin sings from the top of the flowering cherry tree at the bottom of her garden. It looks like it is going to be a wonderful day, after she has done some work!
Unlocking the shed door she opens it wide and props it open with the old yard broom. Looking inside Suzy sees that some of the plastic bag that she used to cover Doug's torso has been ripped and torn.
Rats! It has to be. Leaning in Suzy picks up the spade and fork that are just inside the door and walks round to the side of the shed. Sadly it will mean digging up her Daffodil patch; but will make a good place to grow runner beans.
Looking around for nosey neighbors Suzy sees that all is quiet and wasting no time starts to dig.
One and a half hours later a tired, but happy Suzy, locks the shed door and walks slowly back to her bungalow. Turning at the back door she views her handiwork and cannot help a smile as it looks so neat and tidy. The bean poles are tied into five wigwam shapes and are ready for the beans.
Going inside Suzy kicks off her muddy trainers and puts on clean ones. Walking into the lounge she wastes no time in moving the furniture. Using her sharp carving knife she cuts away the blood soaked carpet and underlay. Dragging the carpet outside she tucks it behind the shed deciding to burn it tonight, along with the blood soaked plastic sacks; and the clothes she is wearing!
Stripping her clothes off in the kitchen down to her underwear Suzy goes into the bathroom and turns the hot water on for a bath. Walking into her bedroom Suzy opens her old fashioned walnut veneered wardrobe and thinks what she is going to wear. Picking a bright pink sweatshirt and faded blue jeans she throws them on the bed and goes back into the bathroom to enjoy her bath.
Suzy slams the front door and strides quickly along the path, unlocking Doug's car, which is now hers; she jumps in and starts the engine. This is the first time that she has been out since Doug's death four days ago now and she needs vital shopping. Coffee and sugar and milk mainly, as her appetite has been poor. Suzy had been busy cleaning the lounge and trying to scrub the floorboards that were soaked in blood.
The blood remained impregnated into the floorboards as a black stain and Suzy realized that a new carpet is needed. Suzy had measured the room but could not risk carpet fitters coming into her bungalow. She had scrubbed and scrubbed but the blood had soaked in, staining the timber and she decides to leave it for a few more days.
Pulling up outside the corner shop Suzy is pleased to see it empty of customers inside and gets out the car quickly. Locking the door she enters the shop and makes her way to the coffee and sugar. The supermarket seems too much for her at the moment and Suzy picks up a large jar of coffee and two bags of sugar. Taking them to the till she puts them on the counter and walks over to the fridge picking up two large bottles of full fat milk and returns to the counter as the lad who is serving, totals them up on the till. Paying her money Suzy says a polite 'Thank you' and with arms loaded with her shopping walks out to the car.
Putting the milk down onto the pavement Suzy unlocks the car and puts the coffee and sugar onto the back seat. As she picks up the milk a Volkswagen Polo pulls up close to her car and parks. Suzy looks up in irritation as the driver, parking so close has made it difficult for her to drive away as a car is also parked in front of her.
“Hello Suzy,” says the driver as he opens his door and gets out; it is her university friend Lewis.
“Hello Lewis, long time no see,” she smiles.
“Yes been a while, how are you?” he answers with genuine pleasure at their meeting. Lewis still had long hair as she remembered and had gathered a few grey hairs and wrinkles as he has aged. But Suzy remembers him as if it was yesterday; not the fifteen years it has been.
“Fine thanks; and you?”
“All the better for seeing you, where's Doug?”
“We split up about a week ago,”
“Oh, sorry to hear that, but a week is not very long you will get back together again.”
“No, not this time he has moved out, gone to live with his fancy woman,” Suzy lies.
“So you are on your own now, no boyfriend?” asks Lewis hopefully, as he had always fancied Suzy.
“Yes all alone now, going to leave it a while before I get involved with someone again.”
“You sound positive about that, all right if I visit you?”
Suzy looks at Lewis, she had always liked him and could do with some company; “Yes that would be nice,” she says her smile broadening.
“What you up to now? I got the day off today if now is not too soon?”
“Be good to see you; as long as you move your car back,” answers Suzy with a big smile, as she opens her car door and gets in and puts the bottles of milk on to the passenger’s seat.
Lewis holds her door open until she is settled and shuts it firmly; “See you in about five minutes, I gotta get some baccy.”
“Ok see you in five,” smiles Suzy, as Lewis walks back to his car and gets in behind the wheel. Starting the engine with the car door open he reverses the car about six feet and watches Suzy as she reverses and pulls out into the road.
Giving her a wave Lewis drives his car forward and turns the engine off. Smiling broadly and thanking his god for starting the day off so well he optimistically goes into the shop.
Chapter Two
Suzy hears Lewis pull up in his car and coming out of the kitchen she opens the front door to a smiling Lewis who is walking along the path towards her.
“Hi Suzy, gotta admit it is good to see you.”
“And to see you, come in I'm making coffee in the kitchen.”
Lewis follows Suzy along the hall and enters her large brightly coloured kitchen of yellow painted walls and darker yellow kitchen units topped with a pink granite worktop; “Sit down I'll pour your coffee.”
Lewis sits down at the table in a hardback chair; “So what you been doing since you became a free woman?”